Khatchatur Taronatsi

KHATCHATUR Tarōnetsi. fl. 13th century. Khatchatur of Tarōn was a poet and musician, and he occupies a special place among the authors of Armenian hymns. His best known hymn is ‘Khorhurd khorin’ (‘Mystery profound’) which is also called ‘The Hymn of Vesting’, sung at the beginning of Holy Mass. Successive 4-line quatrains spell out the author’s name (KHATCHATUR). According to certain sources, Khatchatur composed it on the occasion of an open-air liturgy organised at the request of Prince Zakaria who commanded the army that freed North-Eastern Armenia from the Seljuks in 1206. The hymn is sung when the celebrant puts on his sacerdotal robes in the vestry, and then walks in a procession to...

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